Running, and discipline (like getting smacked), and stuff

Well, if you're gonna make sense of this post, you better start by reading THIS. I just got back from running. Yes, it is 86 degrees out there and killer humidity. Why, you ask, am I running? Why, I ask, am I running? Especially on a day like today when I feel like I've never run before in my life. (Which isn't actually too far from the truth!)

Well, I'm running to train for my very first 5K race which I'm running with some friends from Cornerstone next weekend. It is amazing how at 41 years old, one (namely I) can still succumb to peer pressure! At any rate, today wasn't the best run. I felt like I was carrying around a heavy weight (other than the natural one I have amassed around my waist). This fact, accompanied by my thoughts around our small group Bible study lesson in Philippians 3, sent me to Hebrews 12. "Let's throw off all the hindrances and run with perseverance." Sounds like a plan. (Note that I am talking now of "running" in the figurative sense) But it isn't always that easy. What about the days when you aren't sure what the hindrances are? What about the days when you try to throw them off when all they while they appear to be attached with Gorilla Glue (the preceding was in no way an endorsement or criticism of Gorilla Glue, just an attempt to continue my trend of using lots of parenthetical statements in this blog).

That is when it feels like you're being disciplined. I don't mean in the sense that you're sticking to your plan. I mean in the sense that you're getting smacked. (Remind me to tell you of the paint stirring stick my mom kept on top of the fridge...)

But if you read on in Hebrews 12, you'll see that discipline isn't such a bad thing. The Lord kinda says He uses it on us to make us better because He loves us. (Can you imagine God saying "Now son, this is going to hurt me more than it hurts you...?)

So on those days when it feels like you're "running" uphill...when you've got weight that you can't seem to shed...take heart. Jesus is running the race with you. He may be helping you to run, or He may be adding some weight to make you stronger. The cool part is that He is there...

Remember Bonnie Tyler?

Me neither! But I did look up on internet that classic 1978 forgettable hit "It's a heartache." She sang it, or at least was the person who was using her voice over music in the background to share those lyrics. Our Cornerstone devotions for today are taken from 2 Peter 3. Verse 9 goes like this: "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."

Can I paraphrase? God is heartbroken at every lost soul. He says He wants everyone to come to repentance. Notice, that isn't just coming to Him, but coming to Him in repentance. That means being sorry for whatever sin you wrestle with, and then giving it to Him to rescue you from.

So, why is it that God is heartbroken over you? And what will you do about it?

Train Wreck!

OK, it wasn't actually a train wreck, it was more like a car wreck.

OK, it wasn't actually a car wreck, it was more like a fender-bender.

OK, it wasn't actually a fender bender, but I did hit another vehicle yesterday with my van. The evidence is clearly on the front bumper. It was that crazy Cranberry rush-hour traffic and someone ran a red-light and pulled right in front of me. I slammed on the brakes, locked up all fours, and skidded to a near stop just in time for my bumper to smash into his tire. What happened next was amazing. He acted as if he never saw me, and just kept on driving. He got in his lane and headed on his merry way, and I got in my lane and headed on my merry way. It was as if he didn't even notice.

Now you're asking, why is he telling me this? Well, it actually dovetails with a conversation I had with someone this morning who was telling me of an experience on vacation in South Carolina where they met some people who actually worship the church in Florida where the former pastor of Cornerstone now serves. They met on the beach and struck up conversation over, of all things, a silly T-shirt.

That got me to thinking...how many opportunities does God put in our path that we just miss because we are going OUR way? How many times does He run right into the side of the vehicle of our life, only to have us respond in complete and utter apathy?

Lord, forgive me. When you need to get my attention today, please let me pull out in front of you. Jesus, thanks for being willing to wear my "tire marks" on your "bumper."

"I'm Back in the Saddle Again!"

Wow...this has been a summer. I feel like I've been away every other week. Maybe I am feeling that way because I've been away every other week!

Our Cornerstone mission trip was absolutely awesome. You can listen to the testimonies that people shared in worship yesterday by clicking here. It was so neat to be able to witness for the Lord and to grow as a church family. I'm very grateful to those who went, and I'm also very grateful to those who stayed behind to cover us in prayer and to support us financially. Thanks a zillion!!!

Today, our devotions take us to Psalm 67. We are reminded that in our praise to God, others can come to know Him. There is a huge world out there lost and hurting because they don't know Jesus. Many just know about Him. We are called to make Jesus come alive in the hearts of those that we meet today. I am praying for you as you make that happen.

Anyone care to share an online testimony, or maybe a struggle, to share the Lord?

A church on the move!

Cornerstone is a happenin' lately! First, construction has started on our new expansion!!! I am so excited...and if we are really blessed, the first phase will be done in time for our first-ever Vacation Bible School!!! Praise the Lord!

We have lined up some interviews with some very promising candidates for our first-ever full time Family Ministries Coordinator. We are very excited and are just so blessed to be able to follow the Lord's leading on faith! Let's go, Lord!

And next week, 16 of us will travel together to be in mission in West Virginia! We are going to be adding a bathroom addition on a home and we're helping to construct a "church-in-a-box!" Also, we're teaching the Bible stories for a Vacation Bible School ministering to the local children. I can't wait!!!

God is so good!

Interruptions...

Ok, check this story out: Mark 2:1-12. Our Vacation Bible School coordinator (thank you, and God bless you Sandy!) and were talking this morning about this as one of the stories we'll be sharing with our kids. This seems to be a typical day in the life of Jesus. He gets up, probably with a plan, just like the rest of us. Then, as the day unfolds, nothing goes according to the plan! Sound familiar? Well first have peace in knowing that Jesus knows what you're going through. In fact, it is His reality too.

Then, look at what He did. He did not do what Brett does (which may explain why the WWBD fad never really caught on!). He doesn't see these events as interruptions to His carefully planned day. He sees them as opportunities for ministry!

So today is another training day...another day for me to be more like Jesus. And in it, I am trying to see all the interruptions of this day as Jesus does...as opportunities share Him! Help me, Lord!

JOY!

At Cornerstone, we offer daily devotions that relate to our theme of worship for the week. They can be found by clicking HERE. Todays devotion is taken from Nehemiah 8:10. This has always been a favorite verse of mine, and it seems to go along with my reading of "The Life You've Always Wanted." Isn't it so neat how God is so wanting to line up the things of our lives to point us to Him? Why don't we pay better attention? JOY, and not just any joy. But the JOY of the Lord! Why are we so joyless sometimes? I have to say that church people (notice I didn't say Christians!) are the most joyless people. C'mon...if we have Jesus, we can't help but have joy! So today, I am happy. And I think I know why...because I have the Lord, and His joy is my strength! How about you?

Duh!

I've been reading "The Life You've Always Wanted" by John Ortberg at the recommendation of some good friends here. I have to admit that I am now working through a chapter on Spiritual Disciplines...pretty "coinkydinky" considering that I'm sorta preaching about that right now at Cornerstone!!! Isn't God cool? Anywho, I'm having one of those embarrassing "duh!" moments. You know, like when you're 41 years old and you should have figured it out by now but you didn't and it just hit you and you're excited but feel stupid at the same time so much so that you lapse into runon sentences? A few years ago, I must have been in my 30's then, I had them same experience with LMNOP. I always thought it was a single letter in the alphabet...

Anywho, the point is, spiritual disciplines are tools for training...training to be more like Jesus. They are not things that are to gain extra points with God. They are not the measure of holiness. They are not the end in itself. They are the TRAINING TOOLS! Now I get it! So my prayer life, devotional reading, personal worship, fasting, Christian service...they are tools to use in my training.

Now you know that nearly every day I go to the gym. I don't go there because I am strong. I go there to get strong. And it is fun to train to be strong. One of these days I'll be benching my own weight. But so it is in my walk with the Lord. Every day is another opportunity to get just a little stronger. OK! This helps! Thank you Jesus!

Who is this King of glory?

I'm sitting in our worship center trying to focus on Jesus in preparation for worship. I'm worshiping to a Third Day CD I found in our CD player. Right now, I keep hitting the repeat button because I'm just blown away by this song. Check out this powerful line:

"Who is this King of glory, that pursues me with His love?
And haunts me with hearing of His softly spoken words?
My conscious a reminder of forgiveness that I need...
Who is this King of glory, who offers it to me?"

Now that'll preach. Thank you Jesus for being my King of glory. May I make room for you in my life today....

Home

I think I heard it said somewhere "there's no place like home!" Yesterday, Carla had to work so I set off on a solo journey for Salix Pennsylvania. You can see it on the map HERE. Salix is home. It is the place that never changes. It is the town where you refer to the homes as "so and so's old place." It is the town of a zillion childhood memories. And it is the town where my mom and dad still live. I had a great visit yesterday. I had a baloney sammich with mom and dad. (I wanted something better, but mom wouldn't oblige.) I checked out their garden, surveyed the trees, and picked a few prematurely ripe raspberries. A good time was had...

So today, I'm back "home." Not Salix, but Cranberry Township. And what a comparison in contrasting Pennsylvania towns. Cranberry is the "anti-Salix!" And yet, it is home. It is the place where Carla and I currently put down our roots. It is the place of new friends. It is the place of a rapid, and yet somehow exhilarating, pace. It is the place where everything changes. And it is the place where we now love to call home.

Maybe home has more to do with where God is calling you to be. Maybe home is where you see Him most. For me, that has been and still is Salix. For me, that has been and still is Cranberry Township. I wonder where home will be next.....

Where Does My Help Come From?

Psalm 121 starts something like "I look up into the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord!"

OK....good news. My help, and my hope, comes from the Lord Jesus Christ. Got it.

So why do I always look for help in other places? I don't look to the "hills" but I look in equally dumb and unsatisfying places. When will I learn to start with the Lord in the first place?

Lord, please forgive me...again. And please help me...again.

Oh, and thanks...again!

Family Ministries Coordinator

Well, this is a shameless advertisement. I know my blog has readers as far away as Jefferson Hills (in the south hills of Pittsburgh), so I thought I would tap this endless sea of adherants to advertise our newest position at Cornerstone Church. I am so pleased to announce that we are going to take a big step of faith and hire a full time person to work on our team. After the announcement of our current Children's Ministries Coordinator that she accepted full time employment, we the leadership set to the task of praying and visioning where we go from here. We decided to step out and hire someone who will work with our parents and recruit and train our adult leadership so that we can better reach the children and youth of our church and community.

HERE is the link to one of the places we advertised. If you know of someone who may be interested, please pass this along. Thanks!!!

Good to be home!

I returned from Camp Allegheny yesterday and I had a wonderful experience. But there is no place like home. It is good to see Carla again, and it was good to worship at Cornerstone. We truly feel like this is our church home and we love being here!!! I really sensed the presence of the Lord among us in worship today...God is so good. I am also looking forward to returning to blogging in earnest tomorrow.

A week at camp!

I'm heading out after worship today to Camp Allegheny nestled in the mountains of Somerset County PA. I am the dean of the week long Counselor Training Camp. It is one of my favorite weeks of the year. I get the privilege of working with young men and women who love the Lord and who are called to Christian leadership. What a blast. Pray for me as I lead them, and pray for them too!

Celebration!!!!

Thousands of years ago, the Holy Spirit was working on David. God was telling him about the faith of future generations...namely us! Here's what David said about us:

Psslm 145:77 - "They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness."

You know what? He's right!!! I am celebrating God's amazing goodness to today. I am almost in tears of joy as I consider the blessings He is bringing our way. He is righteous and faithful and loving and just. And He considers us in the midst of it.

I cannot wait for Sunday...this is one of those weeks where I am so excited to celebrate the Lord and to be His church together. Give Him glory today, and let's join in giving Him glory together this weekend!

Without a Vision...

OK, I'm letting you in on a little secret. I'm giving you a heads up about Sunday's message. I'm very excited to be preaching on this. Now first, go HERE and read the passage of Scripture. I have it here in 5 different translations. Go ahead, read it. I'll wait....



Thanks! Cool Scripture, eh? There are different variations in the different translations because different people read and interpret the Hebrew differently. But the bottom line is this: we must look to see what God is up to. We must see where He is going. We must look to His future, not ours. We must have a direction, and it must be His, or we're in trouble.

Can I paraphrase it for you? "If you aim for nothing, you'll hit it every time!" We need to be people of vision, and that vision needs to be of God and where He is leading.

This is what I'll be sharing in Cornerstone's worship on Sunday. Join us, and be prepared!!!

He's back!

Well, after a great week of Annual Conference, I'm back in the saddle at Cornerstone. I really missed being here...it was a great week of being reminded of why I am here and why I do what I do. I was blessed to work with the youth this week and wish to celebrate that a little. Out of 100 youth, 35 of them joined an on-the-spot praise team. We had so many that we had to split the vocalists into two groups! They were an amazingly talented and hardworking group of young people. We had practices and led worship in four different places, which meant a whole LOT of setting up, tearing down, and moving equipment. We even had a 5:45 am practice...and they showed up! I saw Jesus a lot this week...He was hanging at Annual Conference, and He was acting like a youth. I'm so thankful to have seen Him!

If you are part of Cornerstone, you need to come this Sunday. Cancel your vacation, take two aspirin, set two alarms! You wanna be here. We have some great things to celebrate, and I can't wait (hey...that rhymed!!!)!!! Happy Tuesday...more tomorrow...

Annual Conference

Well, today is my only day in the office at Cornerstone. I am making final preparations for Annual Conference. This is the yearly gathering of equal representation of lay people and clergy to celebrate and make decisions regarding ministry in the Western Pennsylvania region. I am really looking forward to it this year for several reasons. The first of which is my friends. I am developing some really good friendships with some fellow pastors and I will get to spend some time with those guys. Secondly, I am leading the youth praise team and working with the youth pages and delegates at Conference. Working with our youth always reminds me of why I do what I do. And lastly, our Conference is at a crossroads. We will be doing some honest visioning and debating about where the Lord is leading, and how to get there. Please pray for me while I'm away. Please pray that I might have Godly wisdom in decisions that need to be made. Also, pray for me while I share a little snapshot of Cornerstone Church before all of the Conference. I've been asked to celebrate what God is doing here as a way of helping people see the need for starting new churches. I will miss my friends at Cornerstone, but I'll be back refreshed and encouraged, for sure!

Crazy...

One of those days! I have LOTS going on today. My first reaction is to pipe...you know, fret and worry and panic? But the Lord spoke to me and said "Hey, just more opportunities for you to see me and to make me seen." Cool! OK Lord, that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to seek you at every turn today. Thanks for the privilege....

GO! eeerrrrlllltttt (sound of squeeling tires!)

Matthew 28:19-20...today's devotional passage. Wow, this preach. Check out what Jesus says here:

"Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

The big word is GO! Henry Blackaby said "you cannot stay where you are and go with God at the same time!" How true. Jesus says, get out there. Take the show on the road. Not, if you build it, they will come! So how are we going to go?

Well, maybe one answer is by seeing ourselves as SENT! Tonight in our small group, we're beginning a study of 1 Peter. Check out the very first verse: an apostle of Jesus Christ... An apostle is someone who is sent. Peter realized he was sent by Jesus to get out in the world and salt it with the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. And he DID!!! And it made a HUGE difference!

So, are you an apostle, and to whom are you being sent?

Accountability...

I'm in a group with three other pastors in our Annual Conference. We get together every two weeks to share our lives in ministry together. I am developing some great friendships with these guys, and I am so thankful to the Lord for them. Tomorrow, we meet for breakfast and we're going to ramp it up another notch. We're going to go the next level in our accountability to one another. I have developed a list of three questions that we will each answer. Then we'll keep each other in prayer about those three things, and the next time we meet, we'll ask each other how we're progressed. Here are the questions:

1. What will you do to improve your physical health between now and the next time we meet?

2. What will you do to improve your emotional well-being between now and the next time we meet?

3. What will you do to improve your walk with Jesus between now and the next time we meet.

I'm excited to meet with them, and I am thankful for the accountability, because I don't walk the Christian journey very faithfully by myself!

What about you? Will you put yourself out there to someone for the same things? How about in your small group?

Saltiness...

Yesterday, the people called Cornerstone studied just one verse, Matthew 5:13, in which Jesus said that we are the salt of the earth. We sorta singled out our graduates and challenged them to go be salty in the world. They have spent these years filling their shakers, and now it is time to go out and make the world a "tastier" place with Jesus amazing love, grace, and plan for the salvation of the world. What a blast it was. If you missed it, you can get the notes and hear the mp3 here.

Today's devotions are taken from Colossians 4:2-6. I guess what hits me the most about these verses of salt is the fact that we're encouraged to pray for one another as we share Jesus with the world. When is the last time you prayed for me to preach effectively to the lost? OK, I'll step on my own toes...when is the last time I prayed for you in the sharing of His message in your own corner of the world?

Sorry for dropping the ball. Today, I'm praying that you can be salt in a clear and effective way...a way that leads people to the Lord! I'm praying for you to be a fully devoted follower of Christ today! And I'm praying for the people with whom you'll rub shoulders. I'm praying that they will be open to be sprinkled with Jesus' amazing love today!

What about you? What hits you the most about today's devotions?

Shrewd Manager - Chapter 3

OK...not much response out there in blogland...I hope you're following along. Today is an attempt to deal with another tough verse, verse 9:

Jesus says in Luke 16:9 "I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings."

Let me copy what the NIV Study Bible says about this verse: "use worldly wealth. God's people should be alert to make use of what God has given them. to gain friends. By helping those in need, who in the future will show their gratitude when they welcome their benefactors into heaven ("eternal dwellings"). In this way worldly wealth may be wisely used to gain eternal benefit."

So the NIV Study Bible commentators are taking the approach that Jesus is advocating the wise use of worldly wealth to minister to others who will in turn make faith commitments that will have eternal rewards both for the "manager" and the benefactor.

Maybe this is true. Perhaps Jesus is suggesting that we not hoard our earthly wealth, but that we should use it to build the Kingdom. (which goes along well with verse 13) Although His choice of words here is confusing! He says we're to use the wealth to gain friends for ourselves, not for Him!

What do YOU think? How do you come to grips with the difficulties here?

In the end, we need to study the entire parable, and see it in light of the entire Word of God to completely understand it. I think it is fair to say the whole picture is summed up in what we discussed on Sunday: Let's be faithful to manage what God has given us in service to Him...

Shrewd Manager - Chapter 2

Well, yesterday we tried to sort through some of the possible interpretations of the parable of the Shrewd Manager, which can be read here. Today, I'd like to focus on verses 8:

8"The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.

This begs the question: was Jesus advocating dishonesty? He says that the master commended the dishonest manager. Is this parable, like others, drawing a parallel between the manager and God?

I don't think so, and here are some reasons:
1. God is holy and cannot operate outside His holiness. (easy, stock answer)
2. The second part of verse 8 shows the reason told the parable. It was clearly not to draw a parallel, but a comparison. I believe He is saying that we need to be faithful (shrewd?) in our management. He illustrates that in some ways, the world is more faithful in their affairs than the church is in the affairs of the Kingdom.

Tomorrow, we will deal with the equally difficult verse 9. Any comments?

Shrewd Manager - Chapter 1

Well, we were talking about this parable of the Shrewd Manager on Sunday... if you missed it, you can listen and check out the message notes here. The parable is found in Luke 16:1-15, which you can read here.

Now this is a tough parable and I want to work out some of the details in an online discussion this week...so feel free to jump on in to the conversation. Today, I want to offer three possible explanations for the "shrewd" managers actions. The problem with this is it seems that Jesus is holding this man up as an example. We'll decide that at another time. First, let's delve into why this manager may have done what he did...

Possible explanation #1: The manager cheated his boss! He knew he was going to lose his job so he figured he could end his last day at work by making friends with his debtors. He chose to reduce their bill so that they would be happy with him. The problem with this theory is that he reduced the debts, but did not forgive them. If he was really trying to win friends, he could have simply erased the debt.

Possible explanation #2: The manager reduced the payback amount to equal the actual value without interest. In other words, he may have been only charging the debtors the amount they actually borrowed, the principal. Asking his clients to pay back only the principal wasn't really cheating his boss and was helping him to gain favor with his debtors...a sort of win-win proposition.

Possible explanation #3: The manager was foregoing his "cut" of the deal. In other words, he may have been paid whatever amount he tacked on to the original debt. So the 400 gallons of olive oil was what the debtor actually owed the boss. But the manager was charging an extra 400 gallons for himself as payment for services rendered. If he didn't accept any payment, his boss's debts would be satisfied and the debtor would be off the hook for his share of the interest and would be pleased.

OK, there are the three possible explanations we came up with. What do YOU think? Let us know!!!!

Blessings

Well, another Saturday, another new members class at Cornerstone. We are blessed with 13 people who will be joining here in a few weeks, most by profession of faith. This is an exciting time or growth in the Kingdom. We are trying our best to play our small part to turn this world upside down for Jesus. Our expansion plans are almost final, and we're hoping to sign the contract on Tuesday (God willing!!!) . We are evaluating our Stepping Stones Discipling Ministry and gearing up for a great fall kick off again. We have had many people involved in the classes thus far and it just keeps getting better. God seems to be blessing us with kids and young families right and left, and for that we're excited about what that means in the future of our ministry. Personally, I have the best wife in the world. I love to spend time with her and our relationship seems to keep getting better. In short, God is so good! I'm excited to share in His goodness today!

Where are you feeling particularly blessed?

YUCK! I stepped in gum...

Yesterday as I spent the day just walking and talking with the Lord, I was so blessed. I hope He was too. I went to the local parks and just spent time talking with Him about my faithfulness today and about the pressures I am feeling. You know as Cornerstone grows and matures, it is a time of great excitement. It is also a time of feeling the heat. There are great expectations upon us at every turn. Many of those are self-imposed, but they are all very real! So I was really trying to talk with God about how to balance it all. He has some neat things to share with me, some of which I'll share here over the next few days.

But as I was walking along, I was paying no real attention to where I was going. Then I felt it. That icky feeling of knowing that you stepped in "something." I stopped and looked as my heart sank...yes, it was gum. Disgusting. My first thought was to blame the careless litterbug who had disposed of it on the path. But then I sensed God reminding me that I some responsibility in it too. I failed to see where I was going. I was too distracted by things around me to notice what was right before me. And so I walked along in that classic "I'm trying to wipe gum from the bottom of my Birkenstocks" gait...a feat that never works.

The rest of my journey, I had this annoying thought of the gum on the bottom of my shoe. Something so stupid and so small could cripple my ability for a time...how silly. And then the Lord reminded me of a favorite verse:

1 John 1:9 "If we confess our gum, He is faithful and just to forgive our gum and to cleanse us from all our gummyness." (MOWV) (My Own Words Version!)

Jesus, thank you. Take the stupid gum from my shoe...and help me to watch where I'm walking today.... Thanks!

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening...

It is a beautiful day, and I am dispensing with all the urgent today to focus on the important. I'm going to the park with my Bible and notebook to spend some time listening to God. Pray with me....

Seek, and you will find...

Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:7-8 that we are to be asking, seeking, and knocking. As we who are Cornerstone have been studying this week, what Jesus spent His time seeking for was the lost. It is humbling to realize that He expects that I will expend much of my prayer energy today for the lost. Wow...that could fundamentally change my prayer life. The lists of wants and needs may have to be replaced with lists of people whom I love and whom I don't who need Him more than me today...

Lord, may I seek and find today....not for myself or my sake, but for the Your sake for the sake of those who don't know You...yet!

Jesus' mission statement

Cornerstone has been studying the parables and this week we looked at the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin from Luke 15:1-10. Today's devotion is from Luke 19:10 in which Jesus says "the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." (NIV) That sounds like a personal mission statement. He was sharing with the world why He came and what He was planning to do.

What is your mission statement? What is it that God is calling you to? I don't mean with your family or career or bluegrass guitar :) ! I mean the reason God has you here. Weigh in and share...